How Do I Know I’ve Found My Forever Career?
Do you want to stay in your current career for the rest of your life? If your answer to that question is “yes!,” congratulations — you are ahead of the game. But for many people, it can be tricky to decide if it makes sense to develop an alternative career path.
But before deciding whether or not to switch careers, ask yourself a fundamental question: Do you live to work? Or work to live?
For many people, work is more than a way to keep body and soul together, pay the bills and maybe retire someday. Their work is at the core of what makes them tick as a person.
For other people, life begins when they leave the office. This doesn’t mean they hate their job or don’t appreciate their work or that they don’t put in a lot of effort. It’s just that employment is a means to an end. Their passions lie elsewhere. It might be family life or recreational sports or travel or e-gaming or a combination of things that gets their juices flowing.
Are your needs being met?
Once you identify whether you are a work to live or live to work type, here’s the next question: Is the role work plays in your life being met by your current job? If it is….and you are a work to live type…and you don’t feel burned out…and you are treated with respect…and adequately compensated…then you will have a different set of criteria for changing careers.
Early retirement?
For example, let’s say you’re intrigued with the idea of early retirement. And you wonder if there is a job that will help you earn and save more money. Let’s assume you discover a career that offers higher compensation, and could help you retire five years sooner than if you stuck to your existing line of work. If that sparks your interest, the next step is to explore what kind of education or training you will need before you can switch careers. As well as how much the training might cost. And how competitive the labor market is for your prospective career. Think about the effort and financial resources needed to achieve the new career path while doing the work you already do. With this knowledge in mind, ask yourself: Is the time, investment and effort worth it?
What if you stay the course?
If you choose to stay with your current career, that doesn’t necessarily limit your options. For example, are there are opportunities for advancement in the firm your work with now? Or might it be wise to update your resume and see if another company might offer more potential for personal and professional growth?
Career change reality check.
As you can see, some of the most important questions about changing careers have little to do with finding the right job. It’s more about you and what you want and what you’re willing to do to climb the career ladder.
These questions…and thousands more like them..are exactly what a HUM personal career coach does. Now, you might be saying “A personal career coach? I’m already working my dream job/I’m too invested in my lifestyle to change professions.“ But, consider that Ronald Regan was an actor most his life until he ran for president into his 70’s and Julia Child didn’t write her first cookbook until she was 50. It’s hard to determine in your own life if your career is really your dream job. That’s why our career coaching program helps you take a step back from your own life and examine your goals with a fresh perspective.
With a HUM personal career coach by your side, helping you create new goals in life and helping you open your horizon to opportunities you would have otherwise missed, you’re almost guaranteed to learn more about your career — and yourself.
For more information, visit HUM Business Coaching’s contact page or our career coaching page to learn more about career coaching.
